USP Named after an elegant species of tree found in the Asian
rainforests, the Angsana Resort and Spa brings a touch of Thai indulgence to
Palm Cove, near Cairns, on the east coast of Australia.
Thai flourishes are present in each of the 67 apartment-style suites that make
up this restful hotel, but in the spa the Asian influence goes deeper than
the furnishings. Each therapist has graduated from the Banyan Tree Spa
Academy in Phuket before heading across the Pacific to tend to the needs of
Palm Cove’s tired and aching muscles.
AMBIENCE The hotel sits at the top of the palm-fringed beach, with the
spa and swimming pool in front of its white, art deco buildings. With the
sunlight striking the glassy water and crisp, white walls, it takes my eyes
a few moments to adjust to the subdued light of the spa reception. Once
inside, Angsana's leafy connotations are drawn out in earthy hues of brown
and green, while silken drapes continue the Thai theme.
EXPERIENCE The extensive spa menu features a recently expanded range of
options for men, including warm paraffin back treatments, male facials and
foot therapies, during which the feet are bathed, scrubbed massaged and
masked.
Each treatment begins with a foot wash and massage as the therapist discusses
your treatment with you. After flying in from London, my back, shoulders and
neck were in need of some attention, so I opted for the “power back” massage
followed by a head and neck treatment with hot oil.
The petite therapist managed to exert impressive force as she kneaded my back
into submission, at times climbing onto the massage table for a better angle
of attack. I had requested firm pressure, which was just as well –
struggling against jetlag, I was on the verge of sleep a couple of times
when a renewed bout of pummelling brought me round again.
Then it was time for the head and neck treatment. After a few minutes of
Indian head massage, the therapist began to daub hot, thick oil along my
hairline, working it into my scalp. Each drop felt piping hot as it landed
waxily on my skin, but the brief shock of it invigorated and re-awakened me
after the extreme relaxation of the massage. Whether it will, as promised,
help to impede hair loss remains to be seen.
After the treatment, I had 20 minutes or so to spend in my private Jacuzzi,
drinking ginger tea and preparing to re-enter the real world.
FOOD The hotel restaurant sits between the accommodation and the beach,
so visitors can tuck into the simple but devastatingly effective Australian
cuisine while they watch the Moon rise over the Coral Sea. The excellent
local seafood is much in evidence.
IN-CROWD Palm Cove attracts a lot of Australian southerners fleeing the
relatively chilly winters of Sydney and Melbourne for the tropical north.
Britain, Japan and the US provide most of the foreign visitors, and Russians
are beginning to venture this way too.
WALLET WATCH Treatments start at just over £30 for one-hour session,
including foot wash, 30 minutes of massage and relaxation time afterwards.
At the top end of the scale, £110 will get you a half-hour body polish, 90
minutes of body massage and a facial.
NEED TO KNOW Angsana Resort and Spa Great Barrier Reef (00 61 7 4055
3000; www.angsana.com/gbr)
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